Wonder Woman of the Week: Margot Robbie

As I finally make my return to the US after almost two years abroad (and after a much needed week of sipping smoothies on Hawaiian beaches to celebrate my circumnavigation of the globe), we are finally back to (hopefully) regular weekly posts here; and we are coming at you with a super one. This week's Wonder Woman is an actress who has frequently takes roles meant to pigeonhole her as a sex symbol and managed to turn her parts into powerful, dimensional characters and has managed to take costumes designed for sex appeal and turn them into the uniforms to empower. Who better then is there to represent a real life Wonder Woman than Australian actress Margot Robbie.

Margot Robbie was born in Australia in 1990, and raised from age five by her mother after her parents separated. Robbie and her siblings spent much of their childhood on their grandparents' farm where she developed an early love for the performing arts. At only eight years old, Robbie had earned a certificate in trapeze after her mother enrolled her in circus school. Robbie's childhood was far from glamorous, working three jobs to get her way through a private high school including bar tending, working at Subway, and cleaning houses to pay for school.

Margot Robbie got her start in professional acting in 2008 while she was still in high school, but called (legitimately) daily to a casting agent until she finally got put through (on accident) and managed to broker her way onto the cast of a soap opera- Neighbours. The role was meant to be only a guest appearance, but Robbie earned her role as a regular on the show, remaining as a main cast member for three years. Her work also earned eyes from American television producers who brought her on to star in a new show on ABC Pan Am.

The show only lasted a single season, but received strong reviews- especially for their Australian cast member. Robbie continued to pursue roles in the American scene- earning a coast spot in an independent film about a time traveler, and then a major film about wall street bankers- The Wolf of Wall Street. The actress received strong praise for her performance and earned more roles in more American films- even earning awards in films that bombed at the box office.

In a moment of accidental heroism, Margot Robbie's acting may have actually helped countless Americans from becoming homeless. Robbie provided a cameo in The Big Short providing 4th wall breaking commentary about sub prime mortgages in a movie about the 2007 financial crisis and subsequent housing bubble burst. When aggressive investors attempted to drive Game Stop investments into the ground to collect on unsuspecting lower-income investors' failures, Robbie's cameo replayed in the millions as a warning to low-income investors to help quickly educate them about how to stay afloat during the shady dealings of those attempting to drive Game Stop into the ground.

Margot Robbie later took on the role of fictional accidental superhero Harley Quinn in a live action adaptation of three films covering the character. Given a costume and a script intended to make her character a sex symbol, Robbie turned the role into a complex character intent on overcoming abuse and neglect to become a world-saving heroine in a supersuit countless women wear as cosplay to empower in her image. After breaking stereotypes of what a female character in superhero movies could be, Robbie took on the historical role of ice skater Tanya Harding in a biopic meant to shed light on the true story of a broken ice skater and her struggles to achieve success against all odds (and her failure to achieve said goals).

Margot Robbie has gone on to become an international film star thanks to her dedication to her craft and her never-ending belief in her potential. Off stage, Robbie has managed to use her success to build a platform for advocating for human rights including for the advancement of civil rights for women and the LGBTQ+ community- including co-founding an organization called LuckyChap Entertainment focused on women-led stories about women. In 2016, Robbie worked with UN Refugee Agency to drive up support for families in exile around the globe and helped raise $50,000 for UNICEF's "Children First" campaign.

While hosting Saturday Night Live in 2016, Robbie broke from the regularly expected comedy to speak openly about the need for support for legislation in Australia to permit gay couples to have the same marriage rights as straight couples. In 2018, Robbie joined with other celebrities to support the Time's Up movement to support and protect women from harassment and abuse. Robbie's work on stage has helped bring complicated, human characters to screen. Offstage, the actress has managed to inspire countless young women to take the worst society can throw at them and turn it into an opportunity to make a stand. Margot Robbie is an actress who fought for her own success, and for protection of women, support for refugee families, and for the LGTBQ+ community; never afraid to break the 4th wall society has built around her to send a messages loud and clear to become rallying cries for countless oppressed people around the globe to make a stand and say, "no more."